When are the big stars due back?

What’s the Story?

John Cena and Brock Lesnar are expected to be absent from WWE programming following their No Mercy matches, but their returns may be sooner than most fans believe.

Wrestling Inc. reports that Lesnar is being advertised for more Raws before Survivor Series and Cena is expected to face an old WrestleMania opponent at Survivor Series.

In case you didn’t know...

Cena faced Roman Reigns at No Mercy and hit four Attitude Adjustments to no avail. The match came to an end when Reigns hit a Superman Punch and a Spear for the victory. After the match, Cena appeared on Raw Talk and was asked about his status with the company.

In the main event of No Mercy, Lesnar retained his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman after surviving three running powerslams and delivering one F-5.

The heart of the matter

WWE.com is advertising Lesnar’s appearance on Oct. 23, 2017, Raw in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Oct. 23 edition of Raw takes place the night after the TLC pay-per-view and could be a sign that the Universal Champion could be wrestling at Survivor Series.

Lesnar is also scheduled to appear on the Raw before Survivor Series on Nov. 13, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia but not the Raw after Survivor Series.

Officially, Lesnar is not advertised for the Survivor Series pay-per-view, but the rest of his TV appearances take place before the show which could mean a match is in the works, with nothing being official.

Cena is not advertised but any television, but is still advertised to appear at Survivor Series and rumored to face Bray Wyatt.

What’s next?

Finn Bálor is rumored to be Lesnar’s next opponent but there’s no guarantee that it will take place at Survivor Series.

Cena’s expected to be out filming for the Transformers spinoff and his rumored return Survivor Series may be last time he’s seen until WrestleMania season.

Author’s take

Raw missing two of their biggest stars during NFL season will be tough when the ratings come in, but it is good news that Lesnar and Cena could return for one of the Big Four.